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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29457774">Dark Cupid 2</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosebud1000/pseuds/rosebud1000'>rosebud1000</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Miraculous Drabbles and One-shots [17]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Akumatized Le Chien Kim, Fluff, Light Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Reference Ladynoir, Valentine's Day, dark cupid - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:41:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,190</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29457774</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosebud1000/pseuds/rosebud1000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This Valentine's Day, Kim has a different person in mind. And Max doesn't know how to respond right away.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Max Kanté/Lê Chiến Kim</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Miraculous Drabbles and One-shots [17]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1659745</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Dark Cupid 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>it's still valentine's day in my timezone</p><p>enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Valentine’s day, so far, had gone as expected. All the couples in Max’s class had exchanged gifts, with no confessions, because no one had a crush on someone else in the class except Marinette. Max had banned Markov from doing the math on those failures because it seemed like an invasion of privacy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When class let out, the halls were littered with couples in different classes meeting up, and nearly everyone heading off for holiday plans. Max followed Kim to the door. He’d been looking forward to elaborate plans with Ondine since November until they’d broken up over the winter holiday. This year was the first in five that Max hadn’t heard about some confession plan or other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, waving as he stepped onto the sidewalk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kim gave a half-hearted wave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max made sure the clip on his bag was secure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Max, wait.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stopped walking and turned around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kim took a few steps towards him. “I meant to, earlier, ask you something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can ask now, what is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- Will you be my valentine?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t expecting that. How could he have been? He hadn’t even known Kim liked boys. He didn’t have a plan, a way to respond. And he found himself frozen, Kim holding a paper heart and waiting for an answer Max couldn’t give.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Kim said. He stuffed the heart into his pocket. “It’s whatever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kim turned away and walked back to the school, his pace quickening as he went.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no,” Max gasped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t find Kim. He spent a while wandering around the school and sent a text: </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry about that, can we please talk?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Even then, he knew the chances of Kim getting reakumatized were high. Hawkmoth had no doubt marked Kim as a sensitive person, and knew he'd be more susceptible today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Looks like there’s going to be a problem,” Markov said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’m the one who caused it.” Max sat on a bench. “Why are feelings so hard?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Overall, feelings are vastly unpredictable. Brain chemistry plays a role but—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not now, Markov.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Dark Cupid again?” Marinette said, watching a person with black lips run down the street claiming hatred for everyone. “I wonder what hap— </span>
  <em>
    <span>oof</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, Marinette.” Adrien stepped back and brushed off his shirt. “I was trying to… um, anyway, gotta run.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette waited for Adrien to leave, then slipped into an alley. Because not only did she have to deal with an akuma, she also had to see a second Valentine’s Day without a confession to Adrien. She hadn’t even planned one. Honestly, dating someone and maintaining her secret identity seemed like a worse idea each day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you gonna transform?” Tikki asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” She glanced around to make sure there weren’t any cameras. “Let’s hope Chat doesn’t get hit this time. Tikki, spots on.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Max stayed on the bench, watching Alya’s broadcast from his phone. Alya’s involvement with akumas and her actual possession rate were almost the best in Paris— only Ladybug had her beat, and Chat Noir had one more possession than her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chat Noir was the only hero on the scene so far. He’d rushed past Max a few minutes ago and was standing on a roof, probably waiting for Ladybug. She swung around the corner, catching her yoyo on a balcony and spending a few seconds airborne before landing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My lady!” Chat jumped down from a roof. “He went that way, can you loop around so we can corner him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug snapped her yoyo back to her side. “Okay, put in your earpiece.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Ladybug!” Max called.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” She turned to look at him, yoyo already back in her hand to throw.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The akuma is probably in a valentine card he had. It was in his pocket last I saw it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Max. We’ll keep an eye out.” She looked back up at Chat Noir. “Ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tapped his ear and took off running. Ladybug shot up into the air, swinging herself in an arch across the city.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An awful lot of people have been hit so far,” Alya said from Max’s phone. “Keep an eye out everyone, and let’s hope the heroes— Ow! Hey, what are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The video shook around and landed on Alya’s face, her lips painted black. “Why am I even doing this stupid stream?” she said, and the video went dead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well. Alya and Chat Noir were tied.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>The fight moved along the street, ending up only a block away from Max. Markov retreated to his school bag for safety. Ladybug had managed to get her yoyo around Dark Cupid’s wings and was reeling him down to the ground. Chat Noir stood beside her, spinning his baton over their heads. Magical arrows were scattered around them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Watch out!” Ladybug said, rolling away when Dark Cupid broke free of her yoyo. Chat dove, narrowly missing impaling himself on a fallen arrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dark Cupid flew in circles over them. That was Kim. Well, Max knew that akumatized people weren’t themselves, but still. Kim was trapped in Hawkmoth’s control. And of course, he was Max’s best friend. Max hadn’t considered the possibility of them being more than that seriously before. It was just that the thought of Kim smiling at him had made him miss calculations before, and he dropped everything if Kim asked for help with homework, and right now he was wishing he had Kaalki so he could join the fight and help save Kim.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug frowned at something Max couldn’t see, then began directing Chat Noir.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few minutes later, a wash of ladybugs flew over the city. Max grabbed his bag and started running to where Kim was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kim, I—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just forget about it.” Kim brushed himself off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max shook his head. “That wasn’t a rejection earlier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was startled. I wasn’t expecting you to…” He took a breath. This was alright, he was sure of his feelings. “For you to return my feelings.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Kim was still holding the valentine, now crumpled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, yes. I’ll be your valentine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kim smiled, sending a flurry of butterflies to Max’s stomach. Kim reached for his hand and pulled them closer together. “I’ve had a crush on you for a while,” he admitted, and brushed his lips against Max’s cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max couldn’t hold back his smile. It was amazing how easy it was for Kim to strike him speechless.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Marinette and Chat both had a few minutes left on their timers, and Chat was taking the time to spout off all the puns he’d forgone in the fight. She wasn’t listening, just watching him talk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good thing you didn’t get hit again,” she said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, can’t stand to have to kiss me again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, shut up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chat smiled. “Happy Meowentine’s, m’lady.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She rolled her eyes. “Happy Valentine’s,” she said. Her earring beeped, so she waved good-bye and found someplace to detransform.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chat Noir didn’t get hit?” Tikki asked after eating a macaron in less than a second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, he didn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, are you disappointed you missed your Valentine’s kiss with Chat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tikki!”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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